Kids who take on a breeding animal project for the Morgan County Fair make up a special group.

This is a 12-month-a-year project, much longer than the ordinary projects, said breeding sheep Judge Glen Rask during that contest on Saturday.

"It's a lot different than feeding market animals," he said.

Not many try raising breeding animals, and it would be nice if more did, Rask noted.

Lindsey Endsley, 14, of Brush was part of that group at the breeding sheep contest, and it won her a grand champion ribbon and prize in her first year with a sheep breeding project.

She brought two breeding rams and two ewes to the breeding contest. She also plans to bring four market lambs to that show on Tuesday.

Bailey Baltazar won first in class for this yearling market ram. Altogether, she won five ribbons, including reserve grand champion in the breeding sheep contest. (Dan Barker / Fort Morgan Times)

Endsley said she chose sheep for a project because they are friendly, gentle animals.

"I really like them," she said.

Of course, there is work involved, such as 15 to 20 minutes of practice every day to prepare the sheep for the judging ring, plus washing, clipping and generally making the animals clean.

One of her market sheep made the livestock sale last year, but this breeding sheep will remain in her pens at home to continue the project.

Endsley won several ribbons, but Bailey Baltazar, 17, of Fort Morgan won the most ribbons Saturday, taking reserve grand champion and first place for a yearling meat ram, first for a yearling meat ewe, first for a yearling wool ram and first for a yearling wool ewe.